Permits and Application Forms

Whenever work is planned for your home or property parcel, you may need a permit and further approval from the City Council or Washington County and the WINMAR ESTATES Architectural Control Committee if you live within WINMAR ESTATES.

If you are unsure whether you need a permit, contact the City Administrator or City designated building official and explain what you will be doing. They will advise you if the work you are doing is regulated, whether a permit is required, and what fees may be due with your application. The City Administrator may also ask you for your contact information and pass that on to the City designated building official who will contact you and advise if a permit is needed and how it can be applied for. If a permit is required, you can start the application process from the website as shown below. All applications must be on a form provided by the City or it’s designated building official.

Proposed work specified in any application is NOT to be started until the application fee is paid, the application is approved, and the permit issued. 

The City requires permits for:
·        building (any work that erects, constructs, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves, improves, removes, converts or
demolishes any building, structure, or portion thereof, including swimming pools of a certain size,
solar systems/panels, decks)
·        septic system installation/maintenance
·        new driveway access
·        mechanical, plumbing
·        HVAC, fireplace, solid fuel burning stove
·        Right-of-Way and public utility easement work
·        Any exception to the zoning code  

PAGE CONTENTS
I. Septic Permits
II. Building Permits
III. Right of Way/Public Utility Easement Permits
IV. Driveway Access Permits
V. Exceptions to Code (Variances, Special Use Permit, Conditional Use Permit)
VI. Fees
VII. Setbacks

I. SEPTIC PERMITS

Septic permits must be initiated with and processed through Washington County and the City of Pine Springs.

II. BUILDING PERMITS

Building Permit Application Process

A fee payment may be made by credit card, debit card, or electronic check payment if you use the building official application website shown below. Accepted credit cards are American Express, Mastercard, Discover, or VISA. The only other acceptable form of fee payment is in the form of a cashier’s check or a certified check payable to the City of Pine Springs. If a check is returned by a bank for any reason, the application is considered null and void, and a returned check fee will be charged to the applicant. The City Administrator will not accept cash payments.

Submit your completed application packet (application form, plans, other required documents) to the City building official website as directed above.

Set fee rate/repair projects do not require an in-depth review process. Other packets will be initially reviewed by the City building official to ensure all necessary information is included and you may be required to pay a plan review fee. Selected projects may also require a review by the City Council or Planning Commission.

If the property owner resides in Winmar Estates, the Winmar Estates Architectural Control Committee will review the application as well and may contact you for further clarification.   

Once the review is complete, you will be notified by email that your application has been approved or denied. If approved, then payment can be completed as directed.

The building official or the Planning Commission may recommend to the City Council that an application be approved or denied. The City Council may deny the application and state the reasons for its denial, including what information is missing or not in accordance with regulations. The denial notification may be sent by city email or first-class mail to the applicant.

 If the application is approved, then the permit may later be issued and the work may later proceed. 

Final Council or Planning Commission decisions may be appealed according to the process described in the Zoning Code, Section 503. “Appeals and the Board of Adjustment & Appeals”.

Permits

Building, mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, fireplace, or solid fuel burning stove permits are initially processed by Rum River Consultants, LLC who is the designated City Building Official. For questions regarding building permits and inspections please contact them using the following information.

The work for which a permit is issued shall commence within 180 days after the approval date unless an application for an extension of sixty (60) days has been submitted and approved. The work shall be completed within one (1) year unless an application for an extension of one (1) year has been submitted to and approved by the City Council.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON BUILDING PERMITS AND INSPECTIONS, click on this link Building Process.

III. RIGHT-OF-WAY PERMITS

The Commissioner of Streets and Public Works is the principal city official responsible for the oversight of the City rights-of-way and approval of permits to perform any work in the right-of-way such as excavation, any temporary obstruction, installation of new facilities, or maintenance of any existing facilities. Please review Ordinance#31 for more complete information.

Any right-of-way user must first register with the City before applying for a permit to perform any work in the right-of-way. A right-of-way may include the undeveloped portion of property that is adjacent to the street or a utility easement located elsewhere on private property designated for certain utility facilities. Examples of a facility are an electric power pole, a telephone pole, a wireless antenna pole, or an underground cable, power line, or natural gas line.

A registration application form is located here. (PDF file)

A permit application form is located here. (PDF file)

Application forms and check payments should be delivered to the City Administrator for processing.

IV. DRIVEWAY ACCESS PERMITS

A permit is required whenever a new driveway or a change in driveway location is proposed. A driveway access permit application can be found here (PDF file). If located on a County road, then a County access permit is required.

V. EXCEPTIONS TO CODE (VARIANCES, SPECIAL USE PERMITS, CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS

When projects do not conform to standard zoning code, exception permits (variance, special use, conditional use) may be applied for to the City Council. Each type of permit has specific terms that apply. Variances, conditional use permits, and special use permits are written requests that are subject to Minnesota’s 60 day rule (MN Statute 15.99) and must be approved or denied within sixty days of the time it is submitted to the city. A city may extend the time period for an additional sixty days, but only if it does so in writing, with an explanation for the extension, before the expiration of the initial sixty day period. Failure to approve or deny a request within the sixty day rule is considered an approval of the permit.

An application form can be found here. Variance, Special or Conditional Use permit application (PDF file).

A certified copy of a variance or conditional use permit is filed with the Washington County Recorder. It must include the legal description of the property and be accompanied by a payment for the county recording fee. Variances will become void one (1) year after it was granted unless made use of. Variance and use permits last so long as the conditions that were agreed upon continue to be followed. Although the permit will last until terms are not met, the City retains the right to change or amend the status of the use permit.

VI. FEES

Building, mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, fireplace permit fees may be paid by credit card, debit card, or electronic check payment if you use the building official application website shown above. Accepted credit cards are American Express, Mastercard, Discover, or VISA.

For any other payments, the only other acceptable form of fee payment is in the form of a cashier’s check or a certified check payable to the City of Pine Springs. If a check is returned by a bank for any reason, the application is considered null and void, and a returned check fee will be charged to the applicant. The City Administrator will not accept cash payments.

For the current City fee schedule, view this schedule (PDF file).

VII. Setbacks

The legal setback requirements for property boundaries, easements, wetlands, and septic systems are a major concern for any project. General setback rules are shown below. The list is not an inclusive list. See also several regulations in City Zoning Code Section 4 General Provisions, section 602.02 Minimum Requirements, the Washington County SSTS Regulations, and the MN Public Safety pipeline setback rules.

  • No structures may be built on utility, pipeline, or roadway easements.

  • For the vast majority of cases, the setback requirement is: 

    • 40 feet from the street

    • 40 feet from the street to the side if it is a corner lot

    • 20 feet from an internal lot line

    • 50 feet from the back of the lot 

    • 75 feet from any wetland, waterway, or pond for septic systems, including drainfields

    • 35 feet maximum height for any structure

  • Non-occupied structures and deck footings are required by the County to have a 5 foot setback from the sewage tank and 10 foot setback from septic soil treatment and dispersal areas.

  • Occupied buildings and buildings with basements or crawlspaces are required by the County to have a 10 foot setback from the sewage tank and 20 foot setback from septic soil treatment and dispersal areas.

  •  Above ground and in-ground swimming pools are required by the County to have a 10 foot setback from the sewage tank and 10 foot setback from septic soil treatment and dispersal areas.

  • A fact summary sheet for residential zoning information can be found here (R-1 diagram)

VIII. Other Regulations

You should also review regulations in the City Zoning Code, and the City/County Subsurface Sewage Treatment System Code that may impact your project. The City also enforces environmental guidelines for limiting storm water runoff during construction projects. The guidelines are available from the EPA and can also be found here: Storm water Management on Small Residential Construction Sites (PDF file)

IX. Other Resources

Here are some resources that may be useful on your project:

MN State Attorney General publications: